Top roll cradle



A ril 21, 1964 K. P. SWANSON TOP ROLL CRADLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 29, 1962 INVENTOR KENNETH P. SWANSON BY k JM q, i m!) ATTORNEYS April 21, 1964 K. P. SWANSON TOP ROLL CRADLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 29, 1962 FIG. 3

2 2 1- II I m Ill W2 "H 0" 4 I O A y 2 5 iiaallii i 4 I I m u I n lllll LH-H m L L W IIIIJIIIHHH .HIIIHHIII' \\r\# L. -F 111! 4 3 4A|J INVENTOR. KENNETH R SWANSON BY MM W) ATTORNEYS seas My invention relates to spinning apparatus and more particularly to an improved cradle arranged to support the middle top roll and the aprons associated with the middle top and bottom rolls of a spinning frame.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a top roll cradle capable of superior performance with respect to the maintenance of uniform yarn size and also with respect to the minimization of lint accumulation on the cradle.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a nose portion integral with the side members of a top roll cradle for guiding and supporting the lower apron, the nose portion including an upper surface extending rearwardly into close proximity to the bottom roll in order to provide firm support for the portions of the bottom apron in driving engagement with the yarn. Another feature of the invention involves forming the walls of the nose portion of the cradle so that they abut the bottom roll and almost completely enclose the space within the for ward portion of the lower apron in order to minimize the accumulation of lint between the apron and the bottom roll. Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a reversible upper apron guide bar having upper and lower guide surfaces unequally spaced from a plane parallel thereto located on the center line of the slots in the cradle in which the guide bar is mounted, thus permitting the spacing between the upper and lower aprons to be varied by simply reversing the position of the guide bar.

Other features of my invention and the manner in which the foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved will be most readily understood by referring to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded oblique view of the major components of a cradle constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is similar to FIGURE 1 but shows the major components in assembled relation;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the cradle assembled on the middle bottom roll of a spinning frame; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 3.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention, there is provided a top roll cradle comprising a pair of lower side members or plates each having an arcuate recess 12 formed in the lower edge thereof and so dimensioned that the side members may be snapped over and engage the shaft portions of the middle bottom roll of a spinning frame. The forward portions of the two lower side members 10 are held in spaced parallel relation by complementary transverse wall portions, preferably integral with the side members. Each transverse wall portion includes an upper transverse wall 14 generally parallel to the path along which the yarn moves and a lower transverse wall 16 having a leading edge integral with the leading edge of the wall 14 and extending rearwardly at an acute angle thereto. The walls 14 and 16 each comprise complementary halves integral with, and extending inwardly from, the side members 10. The upper wall 14 lies in a plane generally tangent to the upper portion of the bottom roll supporting the cradle ICE while the lower wall 16 preferably is bowed outwardly somewhat from a plane generally tangent to the bottom portion of the bottom roll, and the common leading edge of the two walls is rounded and smooth. Thus, the walls 14 and 16 form a nose portion 18 located at the front of the cradle and arranged to form a guide and support for the lower apron driven by the bottom roll. The walls 14 and 16 together with the nose portion 18 form apron guide members, each fixed to a side plate.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the rear edges of the upper wall 14 and the lower wall 16 are in close proximity to the bottom roll so that the lower apron is supported by either the bottom roll or the nose portion 18 along substantially its entire path of movement. One advantage of this arrangement is that the lower apron cannot sag as it conveys the yarn through the cradle, and bowing the lower wall 16 outwardly assists in achieving this. It has been found that an improvement in the uniformity of the size of the yarn is thereby achieved. Another advantage is that the transverse walls 14 and 16 cooperate with the bottom roll and the side members 10 to form a substantially closed space within the lower apron, and thus accumulation of lint between the bottom roll and the inner surface of the lower apron is materially retarded. Moreover, the lower apron hugs the lower transverse wall 16 as well as the upper transverse wall 14 and the bottom roll, and hence the possibility that lint may accumulate on the inner surface of the lower apron is further reduced.

In order to permit the lower apron to be looped over the nose portion 18 as well as the bottom roll, it is necessary to form the upper portion of the cradle, that is, the portion arranged to support the middle top roll, as a part removably assembled with the lower side members 10. Accordingly, there is provided a pair of upper side members 26 mounted in spaced parallel relation by a bar 22 secured to their rearmost portions. The side members are formed with upper edges having U-shaped recesses 24 shaped to receive and support the middle top roll of the spinning frame for rotation on the cradle. Each upper side member 20 mates with a lower side member 10 to form a unitary structure, and for this purpose an interlocking projection 26 extending rearwardly from the rear portion of lower side member 10 is arranged to extend into a complementary slot 28 formed in the lower rear portion of upper side member 20.

Lateral stability of the upper side members 20 with respect to lower side members 10 is assured by providing an oifset upstanding wall portion 30 as an integral part of each lower side member 10 and by forming a complementary recess 32 in the lower margin of each upper side member 20. When the upper and lower side members are assembled the upstanding wall portion 30 nests within the complementary recess 32, and the wall thicknesses of the parts are chosen so that the inner and outer surfaces of the assembled side members are flush and smooth in order to minimize the accumulation of lint on the cradle.

The lower side members 10 and the upper side members 20 are held in assembled relation by a guide bar 34 disposed transversely with respect to the side members and in engagement with the slots 36 formed in the forward edge of the upstanding wall portions 30 of the lower side members 10 as well as with the slots 38 formed in the forward edge of the upper side members 20. The slots 36 and 38 are laterally aligned and located in a common plane generally parallel to the upper transverse wall 14, this arrangement being particularly useful in that the guide bar 34 not only holds the side members in assembled relation but also functions as a forward guide and support for the upper apron associated with the middle top roll. For the latter purpose a plastic coating 40 formed on the intermediate portion of the guide bar 34 lying between the side members of the cradle, performs a two-fold function; first, it provides a smooth wear resistant bearing surface for the upper apron, and second, by forming the plastic coating so that it is thicker on one side of the guide bar than on the other, the spacing between the forward portions of the upper and lower aprons may be varied by simply reversing the position of the guide bar end for end, as indicated by arrows 41. Alternatively, the guide bar 34 may be shaped so that its upper and lower surfaces are unequally spaced from a plane passing through the center line of the aligned slots 36 and 38, in which case a plastic coating of uniform thickness may be formed on the guide bar. In order to facilitate placement of the guide bar in the proper position to provide the desired spacing between the upper and lower aprons appropriate numerals may be stamped on or otherwise affixed to its upper and lower surfaces.

Referring now to the manner in which the preferred embodiment of my invention may be fabricated and used, the lower side members and the upper side members 26 may be conveniently made of molded nylon or some other suitable plastic material which is relatively resilient, hard and characterized by a smooth waxy surface suitable for use as a bearing material. Half portions of the transverse walls 14 and 16 are preferably molded as an integral part of each lower side member 1%) in order to facilitate assembly of the cradle on the bottom roll. The upper side members are permanently secured together by the bar 22 which is preferably made of steel and staked at each end in suitably located openings in the upper side members.

The first step in installing the cradle disclosed herein is to loop a flexible endless belt or apron 42 on the bottom roll 44 and then to assemble the two lower side members 10 on the bottom roll by positioning them on opposite edges of the apron 42 before maneuvering them into assembled relation with the half portions of the transverse walls 14 and 16 abutting each other and the apron 42 looped over the nose portion 18. After the lower side members 10 and the bottom apron 42 have been properly positioned, the unitary upper cradle portion formed by the upper side members 20 and the bar 22 is assembled on the lower side members by first engaging the interlocking projection 26 and the complementary slot 28 on the side members and then shifting the upper side members 20 downwardly until the slots 36 and the slots 38 at the forward edge of the cradle are in alignment. The guide bar 34 is then pressed into the slots, after upper apron 46 has been placed thereon, and finally the top roll 48 is placed within the upper apron 46, whereupon the shaft portions of the top roll may be pressed downwardly into the U-shaped recesses 24 to complete the assembly of the device.

In operation, it will be understood that the fibers or roving to be processed to form yarn first passes between bottom and top back rolls (not shown) before being drawn through the cradle by the aprons 42 and 46, and that the yarn passes from the forward portion of the cradle to top and bottom front rolls (not shown), as is well understood in the art. As the fibers pass through the cradle they are guided by aprons 42 and 46, and the lower apron 42 is firmly supported by the upper transverse wall 14. Hence, sagging of the apron is prevented with the result that better uniformity of the size of the yarn is maintained. Further, by forming the lower transverse wall 16 and the upper transverse wall 14 so that they extend into close proximity to the bottom roll, only a very small portion of the inner surface of the lower apron is exposed, and therefore the accumulation of lint thereon is minimized.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire the invention to be limited to the particular construction disclosed and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a spinning frame including a bottom roll and a bottom apron driven thereby, a top roll cradle comprising a pair of lower side members and a pair of upper side members, each of said lower side members having a recess formed to engage the bottom roll, the upper margins of said upper side members each having a recess to receive a top roll, means supporting said upper side members in spaced parallel relation, an upper transverse wall and a lower transverse wall projecting from each of said lower side members and maintaining said lower side members in spaced parallel relation, said walls extending forwardly from said bottom roll in generally tangential relation to opposed portions thereof and merging to form a nose portion for guiding and supporting the bottom apron, interlocking means on said upper side members and said lower side members for releasably securing the rear portions of said side members together, each of said side members having a slot in the front edge thereof located in a common plane spaced above said upper transverse wall, and a transverse upper apron guide bar removably mounted in said slots.

2. A top roll cradle as defined in claim 1 in which said guide bar has opposed surfaces spaced above said upper transverse Wall and the portion of said guide bar lying between said side members is coated with a smooth plastic material of greater thickness on one of said opposed surfaces than on the other.

3. A top roll cradle for use with an apron hung on a bottom roll, comprising a pair of independent lower side plates each of which has a recess adapted to receive the bottom roll, a projection extending inwardly from each lower side plate in opposed relation, said projections together forming an apron support having an upper surface and a lower surface merging to form a rounded nose portion, an upper cradle member including a pair of upper side plates, a transverse bar connecting the upper side plates, interlocking means affording a detachable connection between the upper cradle member and each of said lower side plates, a notch in each of said upper and lower side plates, the notches being in alignment when the upper cradle member is assembled and interlocked with the lower side plates, and a bar having a notch adjacent each end, said notches interlocking with the notches in the upper and lower side plates to hold the assembly of side plates and projections in substantially rigid inter-relation.

4. In combination with a spinning frame including opposed, separable bottom and top rolls having an apron hung on each roll, a top roll cradle comprising a pair of lower side plate members independent from one another, each lower side plate member having a recess formed to engage the bottom roll, a pair of apron guide members fixed to opposed portions of the lower side plates and opposing one another when the recesses in the lower side plates engage the bottom roll, said guide members extending within the apron hung on the bottom roll from said side plates to a position adjacent one another and together forming a flat table surface generally tangential to the top of the bottom roll to guide the apron away from the bottom roll, a rounded nose surface merging with the table surface and spaced farthest from the bottom roll to guide and tension the apron, and a convex guide surface merging with the nose surface and guiding the apron back to the bottom roll, the portion of the guide surface adjacent the bottom roll extending generally tangentially to the bottom roll, a pair of upper side plates fixed in spaced parallel relation to one another, each plate having a recess formed to receive the top roll, the lower side plates including portions extending above the table surface of the guide members and overlapping with adjacent portions of the upper side plates, said overlapping portions of the upper and lower side plates including aligned slots, a top apron guide bar having a notch adjacent each end, said guide bar notches interlocking with the slots in the upper and lower side plates to interlock the side plates, and means interlocking the upper and lower side plates on the side of the bottom roll recess generally opposite the guide bar, whereby the fixed upper side plates hold the independent lower side plates in a predetermined relation.

5. A top roll cradle as set forth in claim 4 in which opposite surfaces of said top apron guide bar are parallel to and spaced different distances from the center plane of support of the guide bar as defined by the notches.

6. A top roll cradle as set forth in claim 4 in which the overlapping portions of the lower side plates are received within the overlapping portions of the upper side plates, and in which said interlocking means comprises a notch in an overlapped portion of each lower side plate and a complementary protrusion extending from an overlapping portion of each upper side plate and received in said notch.

7. A top roll cradle as set forth in claim 4 in which the apron guide members have the same shape, and each extend substantially half-way towards the other lower side plate, and the table surface and the guide surface extend to adjacent the bottom roll.

8. A top roll cradle for use with an apron hung on a bottom roll comprising a pair of lower side plates independent from one another, each of which has a recess formed to engage the bottom roll, apron guide members fixed to and extending between the lower side plates for tensioning, guiding, and supporting an apron hung on the bottom roll, an upper cradle member including a pair of upper side plates each or" which has a recess formed to receive a top roll, a transverse bar connecting the upper side plates in spaced parallel relation to one another, the lower side plates including portions extending above the apron guide members and overlapping with adjacent portions of the upper side plates, said overlapping portions of the upper and lower side plates including aligned slots, a top apron guide bar having a notch adjacent each end, said guide bar notches interlocking with the slots in the upper and lower side plates to interlock the side plates, and means interlocking the upper and lower side plates on the side of the bottom roll recesses generally opposite the guide bar, whereby the fixed upper side plates hold the independent lower side plates in a predetermined relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,318 Casablancas Apr. 7, 1936 2,099,970 Casablancas Nov. 23, 1937 2,100,139 Honda Nov. 23, 1937 2,107,433 Truslow et a1 Feb. 8, 1938 2,132,299 Jackson Oct. 4, 1938 2,777,168 Noguera Jan. 15, 1957 2,994,086 Quaas July 25, 1961 3,056,174 Macdonald Oct. 2, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 822,519 Germany Nov. 26, 1951 

4. IN COMBINATION WITH A SPINNING FRAME INCLUDING OPPOSED, SEPARABLE BOTTOM AND TOP ROLLS HAVING AN APRON HUNG ON EACH ROLL, A TOP ROLL CRADLE COMPRISING A PAIR OF LOWER SIDE PLATE MEMBERS INDEPENDENT FROM ONE ANOTHER, EACH LOWER SIDE PLATE MEMBER HAVING A RECESS FORMED TO ENGAGE THE BOTTOM ROLL, A PAIR OF APRON GUIDE MEMBERS FIXED TO OPPOSED PORTIONS OF THE LOWER SIDE PLATES AND OPPOSING ONE ANOTHER WHEN THE RECESSES IN THE LOWER SIDE PLATES ENGAGE THE BOTTOM ROLL, SAID GUIDE MEMBERS EXTENDING WITHIN THE APRON HUNG ON THE BOTTOM ROLL FROM SAID SIDE PLATES TO A POSITION ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER AND TOGETHER FORMING A FLAT TABLE SURFACE GENERALLY TANGENTIAL TO THE TOP OF THE BOTTOM ROLL TO GUIDE THE APRON AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM ROLL, A ROUNDED NOSE SURFACE MERGING WITH THE TABLE SURFACE AND SPACED FARTHEST FROM THE BOTTOM ROLL TO GUIDE AND TENSION THE APRON, AND A CONVEX GUIDE SURFACE MERGING WITH THE NOSE SURFACE AND GUIDING THE APRON BACK TO THE BOTTOM ROLL, THE PORTION OF THE GUIDE SURFACE ADJACENT THE BOTTOM ROLL EXTENDING GENERALLY TANGENTIALLY TO THE BOTTOM ROLL, A PAIR OF UPPER SIDE PLATES FIXED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, EACH PLATE HAVING A RECESS FORMED TO RECEIVE THE TOP ROLL, THE LOWER SIDE PLATES INCLUDING PORTIONS EXTENDING ABOVE THE TABLE SURFACE OF THE GUIDE MEMBERS AND OVERLAPPING WITH ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE UPPER SIDE PLATES, SAID OVERLAPPING PORTION OF THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDE PLATES INCLUDING ALIGNED SLOTS, A TOP APRON GUIDE BAR HAVING A NOTCH ADJACENT EACH END, SAID GUIDE BAR NOTCHES INTERLOCKING WITH THE SLOTS IN THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDE PLATES TO INTERLOCK THE SIDE PLATES, AND MEANS INTERLOCKING THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDE PLATES ON THE SIDE OF THE BOTTOM ROLL RECESS GENERALLY OPPOSITE THE GUIDE BAR, WHEREBY THE FIXED UPPER SIDE PLATES HOLD THE INDEPENDENT LOWER SIDE PLATES IN A PREDETERMINED RELATION. 